Chapter 13 – Crossed Wires
The Mount Justice training room was alive with movement — holographic dummies, mechanical platforms, and floating target drones humming across the arena.
Black Canary stood at the observation deck, arms crossed, sharp eyes scanning the team below. "Alright, everyone. Pair work today. Stealth and coordination. Think with your partner — not over them."
Her gaze slid to the far end, where Gwen adjusted her gloves beside Artemis. The air between them already crackled with tension.
"Really?" Artemis asked, not bothering to hide her annoyance. "You and me again?"
"Don't sound too excited," Gwen said, her tone playful under the mask. "I'll try not to steal your spotlight."
"Ha. Cute." Artemis checked her quiver. "Just don't improvise this time."
Gwen tilted her head. "You say that like it's a bad thing."
"Because it is," Artemis shot back.
Before Canary could step in, Miss Martian's voice echoed through the comms. "I'll be monitoring your coordination through a light mental link. Just surface thoughts — nothing deep."
"Right," Gwen muttered. "Totally not invasive."
Black Canary's voice cut through. "If you can't move as one, you'll lose as one. Begin."
---
Team Ghostshot
The room transformed instantly. The sterile training floor flickered into a digital recreation of Gotham's underbelly — broken alleys, flickering neon, and a Kobra arms deal in progress.
Dozens of holographic operatives appeared, rifles in hand.
"Let's move," Artemis ordered, not waiting for Gwen's input.
"Bossy, huh?" Gwen said, already flipping onto the wall and launching a webline. "Fine. You cover, I clear."
Artemis rolled her eyes but fired. Her arrows zipped through the air — precision perfect — until Gwen swung through her line of fire, snatching a thug midair.
"Hey!" Artemis snapped.
"Saved you an arrow," Gwen quipped, landing lightly beside her.
"You're gonna get in my way."
"You're welcome."
Up above, Miss Martian frowned, maintaining the mental link. "Try to synchronize, please—"
"I said stay out of my head!" Gwen snapped.
The connection rippled. Weaver-12 flared faintly across her neural suit, reacting to the intrusion like static lightning.
> "Warning," Weaver said in her ear. "Foreign psychic signal detected. Attempting isolation."
"Do it."
As Gwen flipped back into combat, a plasma round grazed her shoulder, slicing across her mask. It sparked and glitched — a flicker of her pale cheek and blue eye visible — before it resealed and repaired.
"Mask damage minimal," Weaver confirmed.
"Good. Don't let it happen again."
Artemis noticed but said nothing. The fight was too fast to question it.
---
Glitch in the System
Then the air pulsed — reality stuttered. The simulation flickered, freezing for a second before rebooting on its own.
"What was that?" Artemis asked, lowering her bow slightly.
Weaver's tone sharpened. > "Intrusion trace… unknown. System override not from Mount Justice control."
Before Gwen could warn them, the enemies multiplied — tenfold.
Miss Martian's mental link spiked with static. "It's— it's not me! Something hijacked the sim!"
"Everyone fall back!" Canary's voice came through the speakers, but the exits sealed automatically.
Laser fire rained from every direction.
"Guess we're doing this the hard way!" Gwen shouted, webbing two drones together and slamming them into a wall.
"Fine by me!" Artemis leaped onto a crate, firing explosive arrows.
They fought side by side — pure chaos and instinct. Gwen's web-slinging synced with Artemis's precision. When Gwen spun a thick web line across the battlefield, Artemis used it as a zip line, sliding down and firing in motion.
Their rhythm clicked. Gwen would distract, disarm, and knock enemies into position; Artemis would finish them cleanly.
> "Combat synchronization increasing," Weaver noted. "Efficiency at seventy-one percent."
"Feels like eighty," Gwen muttered, landing beside Artemis.
Artemis gave a short nod. "Not bad, Ghost."
"You too, Arrow."
---
The Unexpected Save
A sudden explosion rocked the floor, tearing through the simulated ground. Artemis lost footing — debris falling fast.
"Artemis!"
Before she could react, Gwen dove forward, catching her midair and webbing them both to a support beam. The blast slammed into Gwen's back, sending a shock through her suit.
She hit the floor hard, sparks crawling across her body as Weaver-12 flickered and rebooted. Glowing neural patterns lit her arms and neck — veins of blue-white energy pulsing like a living circuit.
Artemis crawled up beside her, stunned. "What the hell are you?"
Gwen exhaled, her tone steady. "Still figuring that out."
Before Artemis could respond, Black Canary burst through the control door, slamming a manual override. The simulation shut down with a violent ripple, holograms dissolving into static.
The training room went silent.
Canary looked between them, then down at the scorched floor. "Whoever did that hack — it wasn't us. But you two handled yourselves."
"Barely," Gwen said, brushing off smoke.
"Exactly," Canary replied. "Barely's still standing."
---
Aftermath – Quiet Conversations
Later, in the locker bay, Miss Martian approached Gwen, her expression uneasy. "I didn't mean to push into your memories. I just… I saw something. Like— twelve faces. All you."
Gwen tensed. "Don't go digging again. Some things in my head aren't yours to see."
"I won't," Miss Martian said softly. "Promise."
When she left, Artemis leaned on a nearby locker. "So, Ghost Spider, huh? Kinda starting to make sense now."
"Starting?" Gwen smirked under her mask.
Artemis crossed her arms. "You're reckless, unpredictable, and a total pain to work with."
"Thanks."
"…But," Artemis added, glancing away, "you saved my life. So… not terrible."
Gwen chuckled. "You're not too bad yourself, bow girl."
Black Canary walked by, overhearing the tail end. "That's what I like to hear. Teamwork. Keep this up — both of you."
As she left, Gwen watched the others head toward the common area, a small grin forming beneath her mask. For once, she didn't feel like an outsider.
---
Batman's Investigation
Meanwhile, deep beneath Wayne Manor, the Batcomputer displayed footage of the training session — slowed to a frame where Gwen's neural veins flared.
Batman stood silent, arms folded, analyzing the readings.
"Not meta-energy," he muttered. "And not alien tech either."
Alfred stepped in quietly with a tray. "Tea, sir. You've been at this since dawn."
Batman didn't look up. "Self-learning technology. Organic integration. It's rewriting itself every mission."
Alfred studied the screen. "Like it's… growing?"
"Exactly."
He paused, zooming in on Gwen's faint reflection in one frame — the flicker of her unmasked eye.
"She's dangerous," Alfred said carefully.
Batman's reply was measured. "She's unknown. That's worse."
He turned back to the Batcomputer, typing in a command. A new folder opened — labeled PROJECT: WEAVER – UNKNOWN SOURCE.
The screen dimmed as Batman spoke quietly, almost to himself.
"Whatever you are, Ghost Spider… I hope you're on our side."